NCJ Number
124524
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 17 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1990) Pages: 26-28,30
Date Published
1990
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Police burnout stress syndrome (BOSS) -- an exhausted psychological condition resulting from too much stress -- can be reduced in police agencies by screening out applicants incapable of handling the stress of police work and by providing a supervisory style and services that counter organization-related and duty-related stress.
Abstract
A psychiatric screening evaluation can determine whether a person has the mental and emotional capability to perform under stress. Hiring examinations should also include questions that reveal an applicant's attitudes and expectations toward policing. Thorough screening is cost-effective because it reduces personnel turnover and absenteeism. Although many policing duties are inherently stressful, the police agency's impact on officers can be equally or more stressful. Evaluations, review boards, promotion lists, and rigid and punitive management styles all induce stress. The military style of police management has not been conducive to the relief or management of police occupational stress. What is needed are supervisors who are sensitive to factors that contribute to stress, who develop management styles that minimize stress, and who know what to do when officers develop BOSS symptoms.